Abdollatiphi Historiae Aegypti Compendium, Arabice et Latine

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[Oxford: J. Cooke, Hanwell, & Parker]

Abstract

In 1189, physician and polymath, ʿAbd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī (1162-1231) left his hometown of Baghdad and for the rest of his life he travelled throughout the Middle East. His visit to Egypt in 1200 culminated in this treatise on Egypt. It is one of many he wrote in his lifetime on a range of subjects including medicine, philosophy, law, and grammar. Translated into Latin in the 18th century, al- Baghdādī describes Egypt as ‘ea vallis, quam ambient montes bini, orientalis et occidentalis’– ‘in a valley between two mountain ranges’. The author described in detail the many ancient Egyptian monuments like the Pyramids at Giza and wrote of the incredible engineering and technical skills of the Egyptians.